Meet the team

Oliver has extensive experience as a senior leader; both as DSL and a Senior Mental Health Lead. He has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership; a qualification in which he specialised in the management of Safeguarding with a specific focus on the development of effective Mental Health Strategies within education settings, and regularly speaks at sector conferences on this topic, having now worked with, and supported, over 900 schools and colleges, across all sectors, to improve their mental health and safeguarding provision.

Student and staff wellbeing have always been at the heart of Oliver’s approach to education. He is known for his dynamic, authentic and non-judgemental approach to all aspects of his delivery. He is both an Advanced Safeguarding Trainer and Senior Mental Health Lead Trainer, (training DSLs & DSMHLs for a number of different Local Authorities, MATs and individual settings across all sectors), and regularly writes and delivers highly-acclaimed, bespoke training programmes to support settings in these areas. In addition, he is a qualified Mindfulness teacher for both children and adults (MiSP and CMRP), a Mental Health First Aid Instructor (MHFA England), an Accredited Safer Recruitment Trainer (LFF), a specialist Online-Safety trainer (CEOP), a Relax Kids Coach, CSE Trainer and qualified Safeguarding Supervisor.

At an early stage, Gill identified that her occupational aspirations were a career in education. After achieving a BA (Hons) in English and Psychology, she completed her PCGE at Newman College, Birmingham University. Gill has a 30-year Primary education background and has a wealth of experience working in a number of inner-city schools, carrying out roles ranging from Senco and Safeguarding lead to Senior Leader and Headship. Through performing her role as DSL and Mental Health lead, she has developed a thorough understanding of policies and procedures as well as the delivery of safeguarding in schools at both an operational and strategic level working with partners at all levels.

Gill has also led PSHE and RSE and has a focused interest in children’s emotional health and well-being, understanding how trauma and adverse childhood experiences can negatively impact on a child’s development. As a leader, pupil focus, and their continued wellbeing is at the very heart of her decision-making and she remains passionate about ensuring healthy, supportive school environments strive towards positive outcomes for all young people.​

Kristy has over 20 years of experience in education, specialising in leadership and pastoral care for students aged 13 to 18. She began her career teaching A-Level and GCSE students and later earned a Master’s degree in Education to further develop her expertise. She progressed into senior leadership roles, including Deputy Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding and Mental Health Lead. In these roles, Kristy focused on promoting the
wellbeing of both students and staff, leading initiatives to enhance safeguarding, mental health support and overall pastoral care.

Throughout her career, Kristy has developed and implemented strategies to create inclusive and supportive environments where students and staff feel valued and empowered. She
firmly believes in the importance of fostering a positive and nurturing atmosphere in schools, enabling individuals to thrive both academically and personally. Currently, Kristy works as a School Improvement Consultant, where she advises and
supports schools in enhancing their educational standards, leadership practices and student outcomes. She partners with school leaders to develop tailored strategies that address
challenges, improve teaching and learning, and create sustainable growth.

Kristy also serves as Chair of Trustees for a community youth organisation, contributing to its governance and strategic planning. Her approach is focused on creating environments
where individuals feel valued and supported, enabling them to achieve their full potential.

Martha leads on communications and marketing at Brightcore, bringing 15 years of experience across various sectors, where she held a variety of roles across marketing, internal communications, and client engagement. She’s particularly interested in how clear, thoughtful communication can build trust and help make support feel more accessible and meaningful.

Before joining Brightcore, Martha worked as part of a SEND team, delivering one-to-one sessions to secondary school students and supporting them with personalised learning to meet individual needs.

Her background includes a degree in Spanish and a year spent teaching English in Spain - an experience that developed her interest in working with people from different backgrounds. She later completed a Master’s in International Business.

Martha grew up in a big family, and her parents fostered many children over the years. That experience helped shape her values and gave her a strong understanding of the importance of support, empathy, and connection - all of which are central to the work Brightcore does.

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Outside of work, Martha has two young children and coaches her daughter’s football team. She’s also enjoyed travelling and spent time backpacking and volunteering in an orphanage, which gave her a broader outlook and a practical understanding of the different ways children and families experience support.

Rooted in community and driven by values, I bring over two decades of strategic leadership across education, safeguarding, and organisational development.

My consultancy practice blends deep emotional intelligence with systems thinking, supporting individuals, teams, and institutions to lead with clarity, compassion, and impact. With a strong educational foundation and extensive experience in coaching, mentoring, and mediation, I specialise in designing inclusive frameworks that foster resilience, growth, and sustainable change.

I’ve led safeguarding initiatives, facilitated multi-agency collaboration, and embedded reflective practice across diverse settings. As a trustee of 4YP (For Young People) in Ipswich, Suffolk, I champion youth voice, wellbeing, and access to meaningful support. My work is grounded in relational leadership and values-led decision making, always attuned to the needs of neurodiverse and multi-generational communities.

My core specialisms include strategic leadership and systems change in complex environments; safeguarding policy and multi-agency coordination; coaching and mentoring for growth, resilience, and legacy; mediation and stakeholder engagement; and the design of inclusive frameworks that support neurodiverse and multi-generational communities.​

Tracey always wanted to be a teacher, so after leaving Exeter University with a BA(Ed) Hons, it was a seamless transition into fulfilling her ambition. She has over 24 years of teaching experience in a wide range of schools, covering the whole age range from 2-18yrs in both day and boarding settings. She is an experienced teacher of GCSE, A level, and has considerable experience in a full range of school roles from Head of Year (9-11) and assistant examinations officer, to Senior Leader and Deputy Head.

Tracey is passionate about safeguarding and ensuring that schools are a safe haven for children of all ages, and are a place where young people can foster the skills that will help them navigate a mentally and physically healthy adult life. She has vast experience in leading both staff and pupil wellbeing provision (including designing bespoke wellbeing curricula) as both a Designated Safeguarding Lead and Senior Mental Health Lead. Culture, community and pupil focus has always been at the heart of her decision making.

Aside from supporting schools and colleges to improve their provision in her role as a safeguarding consultant, Tracey also regularly trains, supports and supervises DSLs nationally and is an Accredited Safer Recruitment Trainer (LFF).​​

Jen has a background in Primary Education having worked in numerous Pastoral, SEN and Leadership roles. She also has considerable experience as a youth mentor, not only within schools, but also as a youth worker and in the voluntary sector. As a Lead Educational Consultant Jen has developed a new Enrichment and Wellbeing Service for education settings, and as an accredited expert Mental Health First Aid instructor, Jen has delivered training to professionals in a large range of educational, healthcare and voluntary settings. She has additionally been involved in setting up an organisation to support families, and to research the impact on children and young people of having a sibling with long term illness, or additional needs.

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Throughout these experiences she has worked with children and young people of all ages and in a variety of roles and environments, pursuing her passion for improving outcomes for children and young people. Jen continues to do this not only through developing and delivering training and support as a consultant and trainer for Brightcore Consultancy, but also by continuing to teach part time alongside this role.​​

Jo has been teaching since 2002 and has taught in a range of countries and contexts from university level in France, MFL in secondary, primary English in Japan, to ESOL and teacher training in FE. She qualified as a Teaching & Learning Coach in 2013, after which her passion for coaching and mentoring developed further and led her to more recently specialising in Mental Health Advocacy in the Workplace, with a particular focus on Staff Wellbeing.

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With extensive experience of 1to1 coaching, Jo excels in facilitating engaging reflection and learning and describes herself as an empathetic and process-orientated coach. In her coaching supervision sessions, Jo aims to create opportunities to challenge assumptions, push boundaries and make brave decision-making for transformational results.

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Jo believes in helping schools to raise attainment using wellbeing as a focus point. And not just the wellbeing of our children and young people, but equally the wellbeing of mentally healthy teachers. With teacher burnout, staff retention issues and a high number of ECTs joining the profession, Jo believes strategic management of staff wellbeing is a key to helping teachers thrive and learners to fulfil their potential.

With her experience of devising and delivering coaching and training for corporate employee resource groups, Jo leads on the branch of staff wellbeing topics that include preventing teacher burnout, implementing wellbeing plans for staff returning to work after stress and/or mental ill health, helping HR and line managers to support the career transitions of new parents returning to work after parental leave and developing parental engagement.

Alison has been involved in training and developing teams and individuals, across a wide range of subjects, for the majority of her career, and delivers workshops which are renowned for being engaging, inclusive and interactive. After leaving school she trained to become a British Horse Society Riding Instructor and worked full-time within the equestrian industry for several years until deciding that it was time for a change of career direction. She then moved into a financial role, initially within the NHS, where she qualified as a Credit Manager through the Chartered Institute of Credit Management. She spent several years working in this profession within various sectors including legal and utilities.

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After completing an Adult Education and Training certificate, Alison worked as an Enterprise Trainer and Coach within an ERDF project focusing on Business Start Up and Business Growth. This involved designing and delivering soft skills and skills for business workshops in addition to providing 1:1 coaching. She then took on the role of Programme Director.

​Alison is a Mental Health First Aid England Approved Adult and Youth Instructor and also approved to deliver mental health training through the following awarding bodies, ProQual, Highfield, Qualsafe and Nuco. As a British School of Coaching / ILM Endorsed Wellbeing Coach she also offers Wellbeing Workshops and 1:1 Wellbeing Coaching.​

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Meet Ted, who holds the esteemed position of Head of Wellbeing in our workplace, bringing a smile to all employees.